Learn · Incremental games
Sooner or later an incremental game slows to a crawl. Prestige is the deal it offers next: start over, keep something, and climb faster the next time. Here is the same climb six ways, from no reset at all to roguelite runs.
Where the need for prestige comes from.
Also called one endless run
Prices multiply while income only adds up, so every run slows to a crawl sooner or later: the wall. Without a reset, the only ways past it are new things to buy, or waiting.
Start over from nothing, keeping one thing that makes the next run faster.
Also called rebirth, ascension, soft reset
Give up the run for points based on everything you've ever earned; each point adds a little to all income from then on. The next run climbs faster and passes the old wall.
Also called meta upgrades, skill tree, heavenly upgrades
The reset pays a currency you spend on permanent upgrades: start with more, automate the early steps, or unlock new rules. Choosing what to buy turns each reset into a decision.
Also called handicap runs, trials
Start a run under a harsh rule, like no upgrades or half income, and finish it for a permanent reward. It gives experienced players new goals without new content.
When the first loop wears thin, a bigger one wraps around it.
Also called nested resets, transcendence
A second reset above the first. It wipes the first layer's points too, and pays in a stronger currency. Each layer is a new game loop with its own goals and rewards.
The same deal, where the run ends whether you choose it or not.
Also called roguelite unlocks, persistent upgrades
Roguelites use the same deal, except the run ends when you lose. Gold or unlocks carry over between runs, so each new attempt gets a little further than the last.
A coin tree through one run. It grows until it hits the wall and barely grows at all; the reset cuts it back to a sapling, but the roots it put down stay, so the next tree grows faster.
A toy idle game, played for 8 hours. It has 6 generators, each 15% dearer with every one bought. A reset pays points for the square root of all the coins ever earned, and each point adds 2% to all income. Pick how often the player resets.
408B coins in 8 hours 93 resets, ending with all income ×124, and 408B coins in all: 18 times the run that never resets.
6.98T coins in 8 hours 31 resets, ending with all income ×507, and 6.98T coins in all: 305 times the run that never resets.
7.48T coins in 8 hoursBest here 15 resets, ending with all income ×500, and 7.48T coins in all: 327 times the run that never resets.
5.67T coins in 8 hours 7 resets, ending with all income ×383, and 5.67T coins in all: 248 times the run that never resets.
2.41T coins in 8 hours 3 resets, ending with all income ×166, and 2.41T coins in all: 105 times the run that never resets.
364B coins in 8 hours 1 reset, ending with all income ×20, and 364B coins in all: 16 times the run that never resets.
22.8B coins in 8 hours One run for all 8 hours: it hits the wall within half an hour and creeps along from there.
Points come from all the coins ever earned, so the same coins pay the same points however many resets they're split across. What resetting costs is the few minutes each run spends rebuilding. Reset too often and those minutes add up; too rarely and new points wait unused while the run sits at the wall. Here the best rhythm is about half an hour, and the session earns hundreds of times what one long run does.
| Kind | Resets | Keeps | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| No reset | Nothing | Everything, which is the problem | Short games with a planned ending |
| Prestige multiplier | Coins, generators, and upgrades | Prestige points, each one a bonus to all income | Any idle game; the simplest reset to add |
| Prestige shop | The run | Prestige currency and everything bought with it | Giving resets a choice, and skipping early chores |
| Challenge runs | The run, and the challenge's rule applies until it's done | The challenge's reward, once completed | Long games, and players who know every trick |
| Prestige layers | The run, and every layer below | The higher layer's currency and upgrades | Games meant to last months |
| Meta-progression | The run, when you lose it | Gold, unlocks, and permanent upgrades | Action games where losing should still feel like progress |
The toy game above, on each rhythm.
| Reset every | Resets | Income bonus at the end | Coins in 8 hours | Against never resetting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 min | 93 | ×124 | 408B | ×18 |
| 15 min | 31 | ×507 | 6.98T | ×305 |
| 30 min | 15 | ×500 | 7.48T | ×327 |
| 1 hour | 7 | ×383 | 5.67T | ×248 |
| 2 hours | 3 | ×166 | 2.41T | ×105 |
| 4 hours | 1 | ×20 | 364B | ×16 |
| Never | 0 | ×1 | 22.8B | – |